Tainted Crimson
by Erich Sturmburg
Summary: Ever since Jeane reverted back, she swore she owed Clare her life. However, the situation was heated up when another Awakened Being was whispered around by travelers and merchants alike. However, who was that other Claymore with silver hair?
1. Untold Case

_Summary: Ever since when Clare reverted her back into a normal Claymore, Jeane had sworn she owed her life. However, the situation was heated up when another Awakened Being was whispered around by travelers and merchants alike._

_Note: Takes place in between episode 18 of the anime. Might be short, but this is just a building chapter. Please do drop a comment or two, hence I could look into the issues that I may have left hanging.  
_

_**Tainted Crimson  
By: Outlaw-2**_

_Dark Ages  
By: Yngwie J. Malmsteen_

In the time, when darkness ruled  
No one saw the light  
In the cold black emptiness  
Victims of the night

You can't fight what you can't see  
To be or not to be

In the Dark ages  
In the Dark ages

Those evil days will still remain,  
Till someone breaks the chains.

Just the strong survive,  
You have to try, or you will die.

In the Dark ages  
In the Dark ages

… … …

**Situation 1  
Untold Case**

Dreary skies never seemed so glorious, compared to the gloom of bright sunlight that often beat them down with such fury. Pacing through the forest with audible clanks under her foot was Clare, who had been leading the way, or so she thought. Tailing behind her was the short-haired blonde Jeane, who had swore her life to return the favour to Clare. Reasons were obvious; she was on the brink, or in fact had become an awakened being, that is, until Clare arrived, and helped her return back to normal. Clare paused for a moment.

"Is there anyway I can return the favour as it is? I may have to quicken my pace after hearing Rubel's notice of Raki being up in the North," questioned the shoulder haired blonde, simply glancing at the woman tailing behind her.

"As I had said, my life is yours," Jeane replied with a deadpan face.

"As an ultimatum?"

"Yes."

A pause of silence enveloped in between them before Clare turned away, resuming the course to the town of Pieta, seemingly the place where they would rendezvous with other Claymores. However, both of them seemed to lack one thing; their standard Claymore uniforms. Still as it is, Jeane was still wearing the overcoat the shoulder length haired blonde had given, while Clare was in her suit, with one leg barefoot. No matter they had to find some sort of proper clothing before normal fellow men start to woo Jeane, considering how exposed she was.

The sounds of cartwheels creaking were heard. Clare turned to the source of it. Her eyes caught the attention of the upcoming source; a merchant. A path was nearby; she turned to look at the short haired blonde.

"Stay right there. I'll be right back," she informed the woman in black overcoat.

"Whatever for?"

Clare pointed her left index finger at Jeane herself. Silver eyes glanced at her attire before knowing the reason.

"I get it," Number Nine replied.

With that, Clare calmly paced her way to the path ahead while tying her hair to a short ponytail, and hoping her attire would hide her petite bosoms. She lowered the tone of her voice slightly, just enough to mistake the merchant for calling Clare a man. She waved her hands to catch the attention of the man in brown and blue clothing.

"Aye!" he replied, stopping his cart. "What seems to be the problem, my lad?"

"Sir, do you have any clothing I can purchase?" asked Clare in a manly voice while holding her stash of gold coins.

"Well my lad, since I am on my way back to my hometown, I don't mind," answered the middle aged man as he got down from his horse. "I have a rather wide selection. What do you need?"

… … …

After purchasing the clothes Clare and Jeane needed, the merchant was about to head off with his carriage when he turned to look at her.

"My lad, if you're on a journey, please do stay away from the town of Scarla. It seems that there's an awakened being in hiding. Everyone there is afraid, but they are not able to call the Claymores for help, considering how financially constraint the town is in."

Clare's eyes widened for a moment before turning her attention to the middle aged man, "Where's the town, if I may ask?"

"Why? Are you planning to head there?" he replied, a bit concerned.

"No, I'm just wondering where it is, so I'll change my route to my destination."

"Ah, I see. It's about a mountain south where Pieta is. Be careful."

"Likewise, sir."

As the merchant made resumed his way down the path, with the clothes, Clare paced her way back into the thick greenery, noticing Jeane leaning against a tree. Silver eyes turned to look at the shoulder length hair lass, before commenting out of the blue.

"I have to admit, I've forgotten about modesty ever since I swore my life to you,"

Clare never replied as she handed the pieces of cloth to Jeane, "I do have to admit though, for a woman, you do have rather broad shoulders."

"That's nothing," Number Nine replied, wearing the clothes that seemed to be brown in colour. "Nothing compared to your act back then."

"Anyway, heard what the merchant said? We may have to take a look at the situation of Scarla. An awakened being in a habited town seemed pitiful for a financially limited town," said Number Forty-Seven, wearing the overcoat after Jeane handed back to her.

"You decide on the course," replied Jeane, putting on two spaulders. "I am in your debt."

Wearing new sabatons, Clare glanced at the short haired woman, whether she was ready or not. There she was; Jeane was in a brown and maroon suit of the same variant as Clare's, but it looked a little tight in some areas. Silver eyes glanced at the tightest part of the clothing; her bum.

"It is a little tight around the buttocks, but I'm not complaining," remarked the blonde. "Clare, if you insist on going to Scarla, we better must hurry. Citizens maybe being consumed by the Awakened Being as we speak."

There was no response from Number Forty-Seven, but Jeane knew, she was torn between two decisions. Clare glanced at the dreary skies, as thoughts ran wildly in her mind.

"Raki's up in the North, and he may find himself in trouble. But the people of Scarla are in need of help as well. They can't afford help from Claymores straight from the organization."

Another moment of silence enveloped her. Clare shut her eyes, before turning to look at Jeane, who was already prepared to move out.

"Let's head for Scarla, shall we?"

"Let's," replied the short haired woman.

… … …

_Town of Scarla_

The night loomed over the town with fear as citizens locked their doors and windows of their respective houses, in fear of being the next target of the Awakened Being. A boy of 16 summers scrambled for dear life as he found himself in the town centre, near a fountain. He circled around, hoping not to see the beast in his eyes again- he froze.

"Huh?" his voice coughed out as a trail of crimson fluid slid down from his mouth.

He lay slumped next to the fountain, dead, before a force sent his body splashing into the pool of water, turning from crystal clear, to pours of red. An audible scruff was heard before the sound of muscles ripping came through. Striking yellow eyes glowed in fascination before it reverted back into brown ones.

"Ah… And I thought that was enough guts."


	2. Impossible Sickness

_**Situation 2  
Impossible Sickness**_

Some distance from the ill-fated town of Scarla, Clare and Jeane were on their way to the stated town, with the awakened being in their minds. How can such monstrousity be able to settle in the town, knowing the risk of being found out if a wandering Claymore were to drop by? That question lingered in the shoulder length haired woman as they trudged on through the small path in the swamp area.

"What kind of town where one would need to go through a grim swamp?" thought Clare, as the duo entered what it seemed to be a clearing; not exactly a meadow, but it did look like one with a small village some kilometres away from them towards the right.

However, in the midst of windy silence, an audible bout of coughing came from a familiar figure; Jeane. Clare turned to glance at her comrade, with a face still not showing any form of expression. The short haired blonde went on coughing for a moment before hitting her chest a few times to stop it.

"Something went up in your throat?" asked the seemingly shorter Claymore.

"I don't know. I just started coughing about halfway through the swamp. Maybe it's just the place," replied Jeane. "It should go away, considering that we're out of the swamp."

"Hope so. From what I know, we Claymores are rather immune to illnesses. I hope you didn't catch one."

"I seriously hope so. It'll be trouble some should I fall into such a meaningless abyss."

"You sound as if you're making a big issue out of it."

"Which would you prefer, see me go ill, or the town of Scarla in jeopardy?"

"I wouldn't want to see both happen."

A moment of silence went on in between them. Clare stared at Jeane, for whatever reason, Clare herself could not tell. Clouds passed by as if they were in the rush for something. Silver eyes gazed at each other- another bout of coughing left Jeane's mouth. The shoulder length haired lass narrowed her eyes for a moment before insisting.

"We're making a detour to the small village, whether you like it, or not,"

"No, we better not," replied Jeane with some resistance. "Scarla is more important."

"Why does it feel as if you're hiding something that I must find out?" Clare implied, somehow hitting the nail.

"Nothing, I am not hiding anything from you, not even slightly," answered the taller Claymore with a bit of hesitance. "Not hiding anything at all."

"Then if so, we're heading for the village. You may need the rest."

"No, I-," Jeane's words were cut off when the coughing turned to heavy hackings, as if something was ripping in her lungs.

Clare never uttered a word soon after. Using herself as a support for the weakening Jeane, they trudged towards the village, going through the seemingly grazing land as a shortcut. With their disguise, considering they were not wearing Claymore suits, the shoulder length haired lady hoped they would not be recognized as one.

… … …

"Been a while since I lay down in a bed," remarked Jeane, now having a full blown flu. "But I'm still dumbfounded that I caught an illness. Such atrocity; Scarla is still our top priority."

"I'm amused that you're very concerned about Scarla, a lot," Clare commented, glancing through the window from the only inn in the small village.

"That's where I hail from," muttered the short haired woman, turning her head away while her face flushed red. "Damn it."

Number Forty-Seven stood from a distance, hearing bits and pieces of Jeane's recent reply. However, she was able to decipher it, knowing what was occurring. She paced her way towards the door, but was halted when the taller Claymore replied.

"Don't think you'll leave the village without me."

"I'm not, I'm looking for a doctor, if there's any in the village. It'll quicken the time to heal from that cold of yours," answered Clare, only to see Jeane covering herself with the bedsheets. "Jeane?"

"N-nothing, I'm just a bit cold," said the short haired lady. "I'm just… cold."

Silver eyes blinked, surprisingly in amusement. Never had she seen Jeane reacting that way. In fact, she seemed to be responding to the word 'doctor'. But no matter, there was no time for joking around, even if Clare wanted to try it out for once. Back to her disguise as a younger sister of Jeane, she paced her way to the inn keeper, asking if there were doctors in the humble village.

"You might want to hurry, miss. The doctor's heading out to Scarla in an hour's time," replied the inn keeper.

"Scarla?" replied Clare. "I thought there was an Awakened Being there?"

"There is," the elderly woman replied with little concern. "Rumours has it that the doctor has links to the Awakened Being itself."

"What?" silver eyes widened.

"Shush!" the inn keeper chipped in. "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Umm. By the way, the doctor?"

"Ah, yes. Head down this stretch of path and turn to the right at the end of it. You should see the only Aristocrat-looking building there."

"Thanks, I'll be on my way."

"Good luck, and hope your brother is still doing fine with the flu."

… … …

Clare seemed a little suspicious as she paced her way nearer to the Aristocrat-looking building that had fences dominated with crawling plants, and walls that was a mixture of pristine whitewash paint and dull, derelict grey. Silver eyes focused on the sign which simply read 'Clinic Open' on the door. Her weapon has been heavily wrapped up in cloths from the cape Clare initially had, hence it now looked like a casing for several wooden swords.

Doubt settled in her mind. There was suspicion that the doctor himself might be a Yoma affiliated to the Awakened Being. But no matter, Clare had to get a prescription for Jeane, if they want to move on to Scarla quickly enough. Pacing her way nearer to the door, just moments before she could even knock on it-

"Door's open," went the voice, in a rather deep tone.

However, at that split second, silver eyes widened. She grasped for her Claymore quickly- the door boomed open. The sudden force sent her backwards, leaving a trail of lines that was made by the sabatons she wore. Clare had reacted in time. Her eyes focused back again; indeed the doctor himself was a Yoma. Those beastly features that differentiate a human and a Yoma itself; its body was dominated with muscles, eyes were of wild orange.

"Damn it, you managed to miss my surprise attack," scowled the brown skinned Yoma, his fangs of ivory bared out from its mouth. "But I never expected a Claymore to be in this region."

"A doctor in affiliation with the Awakened Being in Scarla. How amusing of you that you stationed yourself in this village," silver eyes narrowed.

"Think before you react; wonder why the inn keeper was so calm when she mentioned about me in close ties with the Awakened Being?" snarled the animal, lunging forward before Clare could even think at the question being thrown at.

A gasp left the shoulder length haired lass' mouth, "That can't be, a Yoma as well?"

"Yes! This village is habited with the Yoma, not human beings! This is what you call a trap village."

Clare wanted to scramble back to the inn and prevent the sick Jeane from getting assaulted, but from the current situation, it seemed she was not able to. A powerful left arm swung straight towards her at high velocity. Clare's un-concentrated mind prevented her from reacting quickly enough as she found herself slamming into a nearby fence at high speed with a loud thud. A trail of crimson left her mouth, but that did not prevent her from stopping.

Silver eyes transformed into wild yellow cat eyes as she stormed towards the Yoma with her claymore in her hands. The beast readied itself for another attack; he swung a right sweep. Clare sidestepped quickly before in rapid successions, she disappeared from the Yoma's sights. However, the doctor was smart enough as he dived forward. A loud swish of Clare's claymore was heard; a miss, thought the blonde.

"What's wrong? Putting your effort in beating me half-heartedly? You're not going to beat me that way!"

A 'tch' left Clare's mouth, obviously in a hurry to rescue Jeane, considering the short haired woman was too sick to even defend herself, "Jeane, hold on. I'm coming."

… … …

Everything she could see was just crimson; the floor, the walls, even the windows. A door lay untouched from the blood that dominated the corridor. A snarl left her mouth, obviously ready for another round of her meal after consuming other humans in other rooms. As she turned the knob, a shiny blade in a form of a claymore pierced through the wooden door, stabbing ever so slightly at the Yoma's chest. The flimsy mahogany was brought down, showing Jeane with her face flushing red from the flu.

"I maybe sick, but I'm still fit enough to fight a meaningless entity like you!" hissed the short haired blonde, her body that seemed to be hunching towards the hungry Yoma.

The beast lunged forward without a word, its best claws swinging towards Jeane's torso. Silver eyes converted into yellow ones as the blonde lunged forward, her claymore aiming for the neck.

A loud splatter was heard. Silence enveloped the inn. An entity moved; it slumped to the ground before a metallic clang followed through.

"Clare."


	3. Limit

_**Situation 3  
Limit**_

The sounds of the claymore booming against the dry, sandy soil reverberated with ferociousness as its target simply slid aside, somehow teasing with Clare. Yellow eyes narrowed in fury; she lunged forward once again. The Yoma let out a short sigh, obviously that the pathetic Claymore would simply re-use the same assault against him. With his body in a hunching position, Clare disappeared from his sight. The beast lunged forward- an audible splatter was heard.

"Huh?" sputtered the animal, as his wild eyes rolled down to look what had occurred.

A portion of his left thigh was cut off, almost showing the bone of it. A whistle left his mouth, impressed by what Clare was able to do.

"I must admit, you are good," the doctor remarked. "But looks like I may have to _overestimate _you, instead of the usual _underestimate_."

Clare was somehow dumbfounded at one part; it seemed that the Yoma lacked the ability to feel pain, considering the massive chunk of muscle loss. Yellow eyes widened; she sidestepped with a leap to the right. A loud boom was heard with such ferociousness. With the body of the blade, Clare handled it so that it would be in front of her; a screeching clang came through before she countered it with a quick overhead slash. A thread of blood spurted out from the Yoma's slit-wound. The shoulder length haired woman took no time to react; she spun towards the left, this time for a torso assault.

The beast slipped sideways, barely missing the attack- Clare spun again, and utilized the flash sword. Multiple wounds formed on the Yoma, but it did not faze the beast at all. Instead, he lunged forward, taking all the damage while landing a right fist right for Clare's torso- a swipe from the said hand left a gaping wound on her midriff. The Claymore retreated as her body hunched forward; her left hand grasping at the fresh wound she inflicted.

"Damn," her mouth voiced out in frustration. "Why does this Yoma be in the same level as an Awakened Being?"

The blonde took a few paces backwards- the Yoma gave her little chance as it disappeared from her sight. Yellow eyes widened once again. She swiveled, and then leaped to the right; a crack was heard from the ground where she was before. The doctor stood there, with its massive claws for hands rooted to the ground. Orange eyes gazed at the ground for a while, before its image faded- Clare ducked, spun and hurled the claymore with her right hand in an arc. A streak of crimson splashed onto her face before a loud thump hit the sandy pathway before two more barely-audible thuds followed suit.

Sprawled on the ground was the 'Doctor' Yoma, with both thighs that seemed to have chopped off cleanly. The beast turned around, still snarling even though he was already at a disadvantage. Aiming the claymore at the Yoma, Clare showed a deadpan face; leaving the beast partially puzzled.

"You will kill me the moment I finish this sentence, but in a Yoma infested village? You don't have a chance to make it out aliv-,"

A horrendous splatter was heard; a portion of the pathway was soon occupied by the beast's head as blood leaked out from the fatal wound at the neck. Clare leaned against the fence, not amused. Cat eyes glanced at the junction where she initially came from. Realizing what she had almost forgotten, she began to dash her way back to the inn. However, all was prevented when she sensed a sudden surge of Yoki within the area she was in. A faint gasp left her mouth.

"But I just-," her words were cut of when an unexpected powerful thrust sent Clare flying across the junction before slamming back first into a dilapidated structure.

Wild orange aura glowed ever so wildly as the headless Yoma with re-attached legs charged towards the debris where the Claymore was. Clare burst out from the mound, with the blade in front of her, lunging straight for the beast. However, it was the thought that disturbed Clare.

"How can a headless Yoma still be able to fight? Unless it's- impossible."

The blonde utilized the flash sword again, once again at the torso. It proved useless when the headless beast bowled through Clare, then tossing her to the ground at incredible velocity. A choke left her mouth before she spat out the red contents that blocked her throat. It seemed she was fighting against something of the impossible. However, she was not going to be defeated by some headless bull-looking monster. The Yoma pounced on Clare; her legs retreated before sending a hard boot with the sabatons she wore. Seeing the beast retreating by the inertia, the blonde went into a crouching position and charged head on.

The Yoma hunched and sent a swipe to sweep the Claymore away, but what he had been assaulting was simply an illusion. Clare reappeared from the back, hurling an overhead strike to the headless hound. Silence soon dominated the fight. Blood trickled down from the Yoma… and Clare as well. The beast managed to lay a deadly hit on the Claymore; right at her navel, once again. As the Yoma sprawled onto the pathway split into two, the blonde, still not amused by what had occurred, slumped to the ground while her back leaned against a sturdy stone fence.

"I don't believe it," she thought, trying to quicken the pace to heal herself. "This is the first a headless Yoma… wait. A Yoma dies after his head is chopped off. Then… that was an Awakened Being?"

Yellow eyes glanced at what was once the Awakened Being, a hint of Yoki was still felt from it, but it was dying ever so slowly. However, that was not the issue for Clare right now; it was Jeane she was most concerned about. Even with such damage done at her navel, the blonde used the claymore for a moment as a support to get up to her feet.

"Come on," she said to herself. "Jeane needs me."

… … …

A loud splatter was heard. Silence enveloped the inn. An entity moved; it slumped to the ground before a metallic clang followed through.

"Clare," muttered Jeane as she leaned against the oak wall, glancing at the headless and legless Yoma that lay limp next to her. "I can still fight in this state."

Shifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, the short haired blonde grasped her claymore as she paced her way out of the room with yellow eyes that seemed to be dimming each moment. Her vision seemed blurry, her head felt hot by the fever that was growing stronger. Her body swayed to and fro- another monstrous being pounced towards Jeane. The blonde's reactions were many times slower than she would have done; she lifted the claymore just in time to evade the direct attack to her chest. The inertia caused sent her stumbling to the ground with an audible thud.

Yellow eyes soon reverted back to silver ones; she realized that the god-damned illness was taking the better of her. She could see death before her eyes. The Yoma seemed to be in a hunching position, ready to take the kill. Jeane knew it would be stupid to simply utilize more of her Yoki hence she could match up with the animal, risking the chances of turning into an Awakened Being. Her mind was muddled, confused, and dizzy. The Yoma charged towards Jeane, once again. She shut her eyes, with her claymore lying next to her.

"I'll not die in such a stupid circumstance like this!" yelled Jeane as her eyes glowed yellow once again, lunging towards the beast.

With the strength she had remained, the short haired blonde sent a swift, horizontal slice to the Yoma's torso, and then turned the blade in an arc, slashing just below the neckline. To completely confirm the beast's death, Jeane leaped before using her claymore to carve a fatal blow to the head vertically downwards, right to the chest, then pulling it away sideways, and then upwards. Her eyes rolled towards were the staircase was; another Yoma was prancing its way up the wooden flight of steps. Without a word, Jeane hurled the blade towards the support of the stairs. The lack of the said support sent the wooden contraption collapsing to the ground, taking the Yoma along.

Noticing the dazed beast lying on the ground, the Claymore took no chances as she pounced towards it with the blade aiming right straight for the neck. A short howl was heard before a thundering boom of blood splattering overwhelmed it.

Yellow eyes widened, two more Yoma were entering the damned inn, and another three from the guest rooms below. Things were now harder for the short haired blonde, considering the constant battle with her full blown flu, and the Yoma. But no matter, she had to survive; there was no way she could die before repaying Clare for reverting her back to normal.

"Damn it," scowled Number Nine, lunging towards the three Yoma while her claymore was ready for a horizontal strike- the two Yoma behind her had struck first.

A flurry of slashes at the back sent Jeane collapsing to the ground, with her blade that lay struck and stuck against the oak wall. She forced herself up to her feet, but the five Yoma were not going to allow it. Another set of assaults rained towards Jeane's back. A blotch of crimson splattered out from her mouth, her eyes shifted back to silver; her strength was diminishing. She lay there helplessly, receiving the damage she could not counter. Visions began to flash right in front of her eyes; more to the focal point where Clare saved her. That was the part when Jeane swore she would repay Clare's deed, two-fold if she could. Her mouth warped to such an arc. A vein protruded from her neck, then at her forehead. A faint glow began to envelop her body- her eyes widened with piercing yellow irises. From that moment onwards, Jeane's mind was literally blurring. Wild thrashings of blood and bodies began to splatter everywhere, a grin formed on her face without reason. It went on for at least a minute or so before nothing was heard, not even a breath, nor a creak from the wooden flooring.

… … …

Clare was actually dumbfounded when she realized there was no Yoma in sight after defeating the Awakened Being back then. The inn came into view, but something was out of picture. The door was left ajar; that was normal, but to be dominated with crimson called blood-

"Jeane!" exclaimed the shoulder length haired Claymore, trying to quicken her pace to the building.

Silver eyes widened in shock; blood and Yoma bodies lay strewn everywhere. An audible gasp from her left sent Clare swiveling- she soon found herself bowled to the ground by an entity.

"C-Clare…" muttered the being.

"Jeane?" replied the shorter Claymore, trying to prop up to a sitting position before her attention caught something out of the ordinary. "Jeane, your-."

"I know. I foolishly went over the limit again. Was overpowered by five Yoma," croaked Number Nine, whose body seemed to have mutated slightly, her arms as well. "This thrill is growing. I got to stop it…"

Jeane's body had what it seemed to have grown little spikes that formed into a wing shape on both back hip area, and arms that seemingly had a metallic looking coupling on the elbows with veins that dominated from the said joint to the hands. Her eyes were of dim yellow. Clare was aware if her comrade were to awaken, there would be no way she could win; her navel was still in the process of healing. But no matter she had to assist suppress Jeane from turning into an Awakened Being, even though the mutation was ever so slightly.

"Come on, Jeane, you can do this just like last time. Just a bit of your Yoki, I'll assist," replied Clare, grasping onto the taller Claymore from the back. "Damn it, the 'wings' on your back are growing."

"I'm trying. But the full blown flu is countering it," wheezed Jeane, obviously she was literally exhausted.

"Don't faint right now! Align your Yoki with me; I'll do the rest while you just provide enough Yoki to align."

"Mmph!"

"Don't lose to the temptation! You said you'll repay of what I did to you back then!"

By then, Jeane's determination grew. She was the same situation; now, and back then. Two-fold to repay, Jeane knew now her purpose to live was more worthy than simply lose out. The duo's bodies glowed blue as Clare let out a pain-scorching whimper; never she knew the stabbing pain at her navel was this serious.

All was quiet from the next minute onwards. Only gasps from both Claymores were heard. Clare glanced at Jeane, who had successfully turned back, once again. Silver eyes gazed at her sickly comrade, then at the dreary skies from outside of the blood-ridden inn.

"I hate it when the skies loom over us with grey pouting dominance. Now we can't really make our way out of the village- inhabited village, I mean," muttered Clare before pelts of rain began to shower over the roofs of the inn. "Go to get Jeane back to the bed; a clean one that is."

"Scarla villager head… Why did you throw me out?" muttered Jeane, most possibly in her slumber when Clare was trying to get her into a clean guest room.

The short Claymore raised an eyebrow, realizing that Jeane's situation may mirror the same as Raki's, possibly.


	4. Unregistered Number 48

_**Situation 4  
Unregistered Number 48**_

It had been 3 days since the sudden assault by the damned Yoma, and an Awakened Being in this… village. Clare glanced at her comrade, who seemed to be doing well fighting back the flu. The only gripe left was that it had made Jeane's appetite a bit… more. Normally, a standard Claymore would not even be able to finish a morsel of food, but it seemed that the short haired blonde was able to gulp down a bowl of gruel Clare had managed to brew up with haste. But no matter, Jeane's appetite did begin to shrink as soon she got better.

"I apologise to make you see this state of mine," said Number Nine who seemed a little guilty as she got out of bed. "This contraption is getting more uncomfortable the moment I got better."

Silver eyes from Number Forty-Seven did not reply, but it seemed that a Claymore returns back to their human self whenever they fall ill. As Jeane packs up, grabbing her claymore, she turned around, looking at Clare. Not a word breathed out from their mouths, but the shorter Claymore knew, her comrade was determined to get to Scarla, no matter what.

"We better get going," Clare finally broke the silence.

"I'll pick up some dried meat from the kitchen, just in case if a sudden surge of appetite kicks in. But it'll be doubtful, obviously," the other replied, disappearing from the guest room.

Wasting no time at all, the duo soon set off from the recently deserted village, not even turning back to glance at the damned rotting Yoma that was still in the same spot few days ago. Scarla was still a distance away, but they were determined to rid of the Awakened Being that was ripping through out of the citizens' lives. No matter, they are rushing to the town, especially Jeane, who seemed very concerned about it.

"At least how long will we be taking before we reach Scarla?" asked the taller woman.

"If we keep up with this pace non-stop, we'll be able to reach there in about 4 days. The issue is whether there will be more Yoma interfering our way," replied the petite variant, pointing to the direction they should be heading. "Around North-east from here."

… … …

"Then hope this path leads to Scarla," implied Jeane, knowing that the duo would not want to get into trouble soon.

With their non-Claymore attire, they paced through the moist soil, as their sabatons were muffled by the natural cushion. Clare gazed at the skies for a moment, realizing that maybe the constant rain for the past three days was assisting them in someway. Her eyes then caught the attention of a rustling tree. Jeane noticed it as well. The duo simply stared at a specific apple tree from the distance, as it rustled irregularly.

"Is it a Yoma?" asked Number Nine, her right hand grabbing the hilt of her claymore.

"Not too sure, but there's a hint of Yoki from it," Number Forty-Seven replied.

However, they need not to be alert soon after as a being soon came crashing down when a branch from the said tree snapped. A female yelp was heard before a rather familiar blade followed suit.

"A Claymore?" thought Clare as she dashed towards the unknown girl while Jeane tagged along from behind.

Whining for a moment was a lass of 20 winters, who possessed surprisingly silver hair instead of blonde ones, and grey eyes, a shade darker from the usual silver ones. Her height about about the same as Clare's but a bit taller. Her hair was tied to twin-tails, but that was not the main concern. It was her attire. It was nothing close to the usual Claymore suit. But no matter, the claymore bore a symbol of a swastika with an arrow that seemed to stab through it. Indeed, she was a Claymore, but was she still one, or already an Awakened Being, thought Clare.

"Ow…" wheezed the said silver haired Claymore before noticing two beings in front of her. "Huh?"

Without a word, Number Forty-Seven gave a hand to the lass hence she could stand up. Grey eyes glanced at Clare for a moment before she went to look for her blade, and grasped it quickly. Jeane was a little unsure about this particular Claymore, and set on questioning her.

"You seemed a bit different from other Claymores. What's your name and number?" asked the short haired blonde.

"Raquel…" the silver haired woman replied before continuing on. "Number Forty-Eight."

Both Clare and Jeane were ultimately shocked when they realized what they have heard. Right in front of them was Raquel, Number Forty-Eight; the numeral that did not exist in the organization. Jeane was still skeptical about it, and set on throwing another flurry of questions.

"Since when there was a Number Forty-Eight in the organization? What caused you to become a Claymore?"

"It was about two years ago. I was on the run, away from a chasing Yoma when both of us fell into a ravine. I survived when braches of trees cushioned my fall. The Yoma had a fatal death by hitting a boulder head on and lay limp next to me," Raquel paused before resuming. "However, there was no form of food, considering the lack of resources. There was no choice; I devoured the dead Yoma next to me to keep myself alive until I found a route out from the damned barren forest."

Clare and Jeane took a step back, realizing the risk Number Forty-Eight had taken.

"That was when I encountered a person by the name of Rubel. Realising that I had unknowingly turned to a Claymore, he handed me a claymore, and had unofficially regarded me as Number Forty-Eight. The organization will not hear of my existence, hence I'm the ultimate outcast of all Claymores," the 20 year old finally completed answering Jeane's questions before chewing on an apple she somehow managed to get one.

Silence prevailed in between the three of them. Raquel was too pre-occupied with the fruit she had been munching on while picking off the leaves that seemed to be stuck onto her maroon overcoat and seemingly simple black dress with black leather shoes. However, there was one thing that caught Clare's eyes; there were a number of belts that seemed to be fastened on Raquel's midriff area. But, the only response she replied was a blade from the woman herself.

"You may not ask about the belts, no matter what," she hissed.

Jeane went on ahead back to the path, realizing that she was wasting time entertaining the unofficial Claymore. The shoulder length haired woman tagged along, leaving twin tails rather confused. However, that only made Raquel have the urge to tag along with them before throwing the remains of the apple into a bush nearby. Grey eyes blinked for a moment; she grasped the hilt of her blade and placed the body of it in front of her. A claymore from Jeane clanged harshly against Raquel's. The 20 year old leaped backwards, then placing the body of the blade above her- another horrendous screech came through.

"It seems that you had training," remarked Jeane, who seemed a bit uncomfortable with Number Forty–Eight's presence.

"Jeane!" exclaimed Clare. "Calm down."

There was a moment of silence before Jeane retreated. Raquel remained in the same position for a split second before she loosened up, a bit shaky by the sudden assault.

"Seems that you have no sword fighting skills of a particular type, but you have the flow right, Raquel," commented Number Nine. "But are you ready enough to battle an Awakened Being in Scarla?"

Twin tails took a step back, shocked by what she had heard, "But that's madness-."

"It may seem that you doubt a Number Nine here."

"Oh."

Clare seemed to be out of place as she hung her head low, "Why do I feel a sense of tension when these two start a conversation?"

"Anyway, are you keen, be it a Yoma, or an Awakened Being?" Jeane asked Raquel, once again.

Number Forty-Eight was a little unsure, considering that she still lacked the name and rank of the shoulder length haired Claymore. But no matter, at least she could have company while it last.

"Yes," replied Raquel, pacing her way closer to the duo.


	5. Ambush

_**Situation 5  
Ambush**_

Two days have passed, and the third day was just beginning as the moon shone brightly above the trio. Jeane, who had recently healed completely from the full blown flu, seemed to have her appetite reduced lately, which was a good sign. However, Clare had her attention more on the silver haired woman, who was surprisingly, still gripping onto her claymore. After introducing to each other with a hint of resistance, Raquel seemed secure that there was someone of a rank just above hers. But no matter, she could sense that Clare could have gotten a higher rank. She could not tell why, but she knew.

"Another two more days before our destination, eh?" said twin tails in a rather lax tone. "But on the serious side, why are the both of you not wearing the standard Claymore suit?"

"Well, aren't you in the same position?" asked Clare, stating the obvious.

"I'm the so-called 'illegitimate member' of the organization; hence, I don't have the rights to wear the suit completely," replied Raquel, most probably in an envious tone.

"We'll most probably be getting the suits when the both of us near to Pieta. But that's not the main issue right now. We got to keep up this pace; we might reach Scarla earlier than expected," Jeane barged in before her right index finger pointed to what it seemed a long straight path with a vague stone wall from a far distance. "I can barely see it, but that's Scarla."

"All I can see is just a wall of blackness from the distance you're pointing at," remarked Number Forty-Eight, who had been squinting her eyes for the time being.

"I don't have the energy to wag my tongue telling you off; going towards the town is much better use of utilizing it," the short haired blonde implied before leading the group.

Grey eyes gazed at the distance longer than expected as Clare and Jeane sort of left her there. She was unsure; Raquel felt something strange, but it was vague. Her eyes rolled slightly to the left, where there was thick greenery, then at the opposite direction, where a rather huge boulder lay next to the base of a cliff. From the looks of it, all was well, but the feeling she was getting, it was almost nauseous.

At first the twin tailed woman wanted to notify them about it, but she was unsure, considering that the feeling she had was vague. But no matter, she caught up with the duo, and tapped Clare's left shoulder for attention.

"What is it?" asked Number Forty-Seven with a deadpan face.

"I just don't know… There's something not right up ahead. The feeling's vague, but it's making me feel nauseous," said Raquel in a rather hesitant tone.

"It's better to sense anything wrong than simply not knowing about it and regret it later," answered the shoulder length haired girl as she alerted the tallest Claymore; Jeane. "Jeane, we might want to be careful around here. Maybe you've overheard our conversation."

"I certainly did," replied Number Nine, who was actually amused about Raquel this time round. "But the point is, Raquel managed to sense it from a longer distance before I could. But being a vague feeling, it is a bit risky."

No matter, they did not ignore Raquel's warning. Jeane and Clare began grasping the hilts of their respective claymores while scanning the areas surrounding the path. The cliff was not worrying, considering the immense height a Yoma would have to jump, which would probably end up crash landing onto the boulder in the end. It was the thick greenery that was the main concern. A dreadful sense of menacing Yoki could be felt, and it was growing every single second. Clare swiveled, glancing at Raquel, who was a bit shaky at her legs, and then at Jeane, who seemed rigid and stiff, yet calm. A howl came through- a shadow appeared instead of the beast itself.

"From behind!" thought Number Forty-Seven, swiveling around while hurling the blade with it in an arc-. "Damn it, no!"

Another shadow in a form of Raquel barged in at the wrong time, who had leaped and went for a careless overhead strike. A large gaping scar formed on her back torso viciously, but Number Forty-Eight did not stop there. Her assault did hit the Yoma, but was barely enough to slice through the skull. Her eyes gleamed a lighter shade of yellow as she swiveled after kicking from the boulder. With the blade right in front of her, twin tails then forced a thrust the moment the tip of the blade touched the skin of the Yoma, right at the neck. A doll-like face soon pictured towards Clare for a split second before a cracking thud onto the ground was heard. Dust kicked up, leaving Number Forty-Seven to wave her claymore to clear the air surrounding Raquel.

"Raquel!" exclaimed Clare, hoping she was all right.

There she was; Number Forty-Eight, supporting herself up to her feet with her blade as blood trickled down her forehead. It was only a short time, but it seemed that the 20 year old was rather worn out. A pathetically short time in terms of stamina, thought Jeane from a distance before her attention turned to heavy rustlings from the thick greenery. A group of 8 Yoma charged out at once, leaving Jeane and Clare to fend for themselves. Raquel, however, was found slamming into the boulder itself at high velocity as a loud crack was heard. Yellow eyes widened before they reverted back to grey. Another stabbing assault came through.

A sputter left twin tails' mouth. Her eyes rolled downwards to see what the Yoma in front of her had hit; right exactly at her midriff. A pulling force soon sent the silver haired Claymore flying into the air before slamming onto the moist soil face first. Her eyes were near drifting, but she could make out what Clare was doing; there she was, fighting of the Yoma that had assaulted Raquel. Number Forty-Eight lay slump in that position as blood began to trickle out from her mouth. But soon enough, her eyes were dimly glowing yellow once again. She could not tell why, but it seemed she needed to fight along with them as well… even if she was the inferior of the trio.

"I'll fight," muttered Raquel.

… … …

Jeane leaped backwards, evading the claw swipe the Yoma had initiated- she charged towards the beast, and pieced it through the torso, then pulling her blade upwards, slicing through the skull as crimson spurted out from the gashes. Another Yoma came rushing towards her from the back; silver eyes changed to bright yellow as Jeane swiveled, and unintentionally released the blade from her hands. The claymore pierced the air before landing a strike on the neck with a rugged cut. A shower of blood splattered over Number Nine, but she was not bothered by that.

The short haired blonde dashed towards where her blade was landing, and grasped it just before the blade could lay a hit onto the soil. Cat eyes spun, paying attention to Clare and Raquel's position for a split second. Four Yoma were surrounding Number Forty-Seven, and another two were fending off the inferior Claymore. In a sprinting position, she dashed towards one of Clare's Yoma, ready for a thrusting assault. Caught off-guard, the said Yoma found itself stabbed through the chest before Jeane yanked her blade upwards once again. However, something seemed to have prevented her from slicing through the skull. Her instincts kicked in as she leaped backwards with the claymore in her hands.

And Jeane was right; moments later, Raquel came slashing the Yoma through the hips, then set on by stabbing the skull several times. Her eyes were still in dim yellow, but it had fury fuelled to it. An unexpected thrust sent Number Forty-Eight careening to the ground once again- another piercing assault from the Yoma found itself digging through the back area of her midriff. A howl of agony finally left Raquel's mouth before nothing was heard from her soon after.

Clare knew what had happened to Raquel, but being too pre-occupied with the other three Yoma; she could do nothing but watch. Her eyes were already gleaming yellow; Number Forty-Seven swiveled and leaped out from being the centre of assaults from the three Yoma, landing on the moist soil. She got into a hunched position with the claymore in front of her. With her best foot forward, Clare lunged straight towards the three Yoma.

"Jeane!" her voice came through unexpectedly.

Swiftly, Number Forty-Seven disappeared from the three Yoma's sights, only to see themselves falling shorter; their legs were chopped off. The short haired Claymore then went on scrambling towards the three legless Yoma as she settled her blade to the left side, ready for an arc slash. At the final moment, she leaped before lurching over the Yoma. An expressionless face was what Jeane only gave when she executed the deadly blow to the miserable beasts. Six were down, and only two Yoma remained. But even so, the beasts were still around, bashing Raquel as they saw fit. Realizing the situation, Clare went on and did a horizontal strike through the torso, then the skulls in rapid successions. Pools of Yoma blood lay strewn on the ground like a battleground from a bloodiest war, but Clare was not paying attention to that; it was Raquel she was ultimately concerned.

Rushing to the Number Forty-Eight's aid, the shortest Claymore turned Raquel around, noticing a gaping wound at her midriff. By then, Clare knew why twin tails did not want anyone to ask about the belts that wrap around them. One could see a Yoma's mutation occurring through it; an incomplete process. Vine-line entity could be seen ripping through her body, most probably trying to merge into her body into a full Claymore but to no avail. Her internal organs were in the progression of recovering, but seeing Raquel drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, it was heart wrenching.

"Raquel, you just rest while we get on stand by. Jeane seemed to be sensing another bout of Yoki, a strong one," replied the helpless Clare, as Raquel let out a croaking nod with grey eyes that neared death.

"I'll be able to hold on, so long I don't receive anymore damage," thought Number Forty-Eight.

As Clare stationed herself near the recovering 20 year old, Jeane paced herself closer to the boulder, having a sense of building Yoki that felt menacingly strong. The ground rumbled. Yellow eyes from Number Nine widened. Leaping away from the boulder; the stone structure was crushed into rubble before a lone entity stood over the smaller stones. It was not an Awakened Being, but a Yoma of a greater strength. Eyes were of menacing crimson, a body build looking similar to Dauf back then, Jeane was sure this battle would last a bit longer than usual.

"Clare, you guard Raquel, I'll try to finish him off!" said the short haired blonde with a commanding voice.

"Wh-what?" replied Clare.


	6. Risk Taker

_**Situation 6  
Risk Taker**_

Yellow eyes from Clare widened as she could only look at the upcoming duel between Number Nine and a seemingly powerful Yoma. From that moment onwards, everything seemed to look like a mere blur. It was shocking that Clare was not able to catch up on the Yoma, and Jeane's pace, until a boom almost next to her occurred. A howl from the beast was heard- Clare took immediate action. She made a short leap through the air, then turning her torso in an arc. Gripping her claymore tighter, she swung her blade in a clockwise direction

"A hit," thought Number Forty Seven-.

"To your right," croaked Raquel's voice without warning.

The shoulder length haired blonde reacted quickly after hearing it. Stabbing her blade to the moist soil, the body of the claymore reverberated after a hard clang ensued. Clare spun again, dragging her weapon out from the earth; the Yoma was unbelievably quick. It could even match to a single digit Claymore. She swiveled, as her yellow eyes scanned the area in front of her. An illusion of the beast was pictured in front of her, followed by a faint breeze to her left. Her eyes widened; she hurled the blade upwards, another screeching strike came through.

"Clare!" exclaimed Jeane as she charged towards her before taking a big jump; her right arm was twisted, obviously ready to initiate her assault.

Knowing what was coming, the shoulder length haired Claymore initiated an upwards thrust, sending the Yoma flinging into the air, whilst Number Nine launched her 'Drill Blade'. A combination of metallic clangs and horrendous bloodied splatters came through- another boom ensued, forming a depression on the ground; this time it was Jeane herself. A bout of coughing left her mouth, most probably trying to clear up her throat. Keeping her ground, Clare aimed her blade towards the Yoma as it lunged itself towards her with ferocity. A fearsome left swipe came rushing towards her torso; she countered it with a swift left swivel, then moving the body of the blade towards the upcoming assault. A bone shaking vibration sent Number Forty-Seven in retreat by a short distance. Her eyes then glanced at Raquel, who had moved at a snail's pace towards a tree, probably trying to get herself into a sitting position- the Yoma moved. Its illusion disappeared from sight; Jeane and Clare grasped their great swords tightly- Raquel's voice wailed before a bout of blood splattering was heard.

"No!" exclaimed the shoulder length haired Claymore as she initiated the flash sword towards the assaulting Yoma.

Number Forty-Eight could only do nothing but witness the scenes happening to her; the claws of the beast had pierced deep into her torso, near the rib area. Grey eyes began to dim ever so slowly, as if her life was diminishing. Her mouth simply went into a downward arc, most probably in despair, realizing how much of a useless Claymore she was- Jeane blasted past her with incredible agility, before leaving an illusion of herself towards the Yoma. Swiftly, she reappeared behind the beast, sending in a rapid flurry of strikes to the back. A snarl left the Yoma's mouth before it initiated a horrendous upwards wipe towards Jeane. Number Nine saw it in the nick of time, and backed off. However, the attack continued on, and slashed Clare's left arm, just below the elbow onwards.

"Arg…" a yelp left her mouth, just barely trying to resist the searing pain.

"Clare, to your right!" exclaimed the short haired blonde before a limb in a form of a mutated leg came slamming into her at high velocity. "Argh!"

A bone crushing boom ensued where Jeane had crash landed. Demonic eyes from the beast then took its attention to Number Forty-Eight, knowing that she was the weakest of the group. Raquel gazed at the monster, knowing that if Clare does not do something about it, she would be gone. She could no longer waste more energy on fighting; she had to concentrate on healing her torso. Number Forty-Seven took action in order to prevent the beast from taking action. An overhead slash came through. The beast faded away; an illusion- a thrust from the back sent Clare forwards, before she struck the blade deep in the soil to slow down. Without delay, she charged towards the Yoma again. The beast hurled a flurry of claw slashes; the blonde leaped to the left before disappearing from sight. Moments before she reappeared behind the Yoma, Clare had already initiated the flash sword, forming a series of stabbing wounds before advancing closer to its target. A howl of anguish left the beast's mouth before Clare retreated with a kick from the Yoma. Jeane then came into the picture with her right arm twisted up; ready to launch her drill sword.

"Eat this!" exclaimed the short haired blonde, dashing towards the Yoma as she began the assault.

The twisting blade pierced through the body of the animal without resistance, leaving a wide, gaping hole. Clare and Jeane expected the beast to drop on the ground, simply waiting for its head to be chopped off, but it did not. The Yoma swiveled, and pounced over the high ranked Claymore. Without hesitation, she was flung into the air like a mere rag before her back slammed head on onto the rubble of rocks from the boulder. Jeane's mouth gaped open, a sign she wanted to let out a loud sign of despair; her voice never left. It was pain too searing to even be expressed in words. Her rib bones were broken, but she was not sure if her spine was affected as well. Her arms twitched, wanting to make a move back to the Yoma, but it was to no avail. She had to concentrate on healing her back, going onwards in that condition would only leave her vulnerable at the torso.

"Clare, just get his head!" Jeane exclaimed before an audible yelp left her mouth. "Just chop his head off!"

Left standing was Number Forty-Seven, who had witnessed how the Yoma had taken the assault from Jeane's drill sword. It was almost impossible for a beast to even resist such a fatal assault. Rustlings from an overcoat were heard. Yellow eyes spun to look who it was. Raquel, who barely healed her midriff, dragged her legs up to her feet as she grasped the hilt of her claymore. However, her eyes were not of grey, nor light yellow ones. Striking yellow eyes were seen from Raquel's doll-like face. Veins began protruding from her neck, then to her forehead. Vine-like structure enveloped her midriff, forming a seemingly belt-looking protection. Her breathing was still heavy, considering the immense damage she inflicted, but she did not seem to care about her condition. Such a risk taker she was, thought Clare.

"Raquel, retreat, and tend to Jeane!" she exclaimed to twin tails.

"No," Raquel replied in an un-amused tone. "I'll rather die fighting!"

Without hesitation, the silver haired lass lunged towards the Yoma with the claymore held in an overhead fashion with both hands. The beast sent a right piercing claw through Raquel's torso-.

"Not this time," muttered Number Forty-Eight before initiating a horizontal slash towards the beast's neck.

A forward thrust pushed her backwards as her blade barely made a slit on the neck of the animal. Landing on her feet, Raquel returned to her battle stance. Clare glanced at her- a trail of blood trickled down Raquel's mouth and torso.

"Raquel, just stay back-,"

"No!"

Twin tails charged towards the Yoma once again, this time with her body edging slightly lower to the ground. With the blade on her right side, she was ready for a diagonal strike. The beast foresaw the attack and launched a kicking motion towards Raquel's midriff, once again. Just moments before the Yoma could even land a hit on the Claymore, she had left her image of herself before it faded. Expecting an assault from the back, the Yoma spun in an anti-clockwise direction, only to sense Raquel… exactly behind it when about halfway through turning.

"Just die!" exclaimed the rowdy Claymore as she swung her blade with ferocity.

Raquel had expected the fight would simply be over by now, but it did not. The beast had lunged forward in the nick of time, deeming Number Forty-Eight's efforts useless. A fistful of claws stabbed through Raquel's torso once again, this time, deepening the fatal wound more than ever. The silver haired lass paused while her grip onto the claymore loosened till she dropped it. Yellow eyes faded back to grey ones again. Powerless, the beast hurled her aside like a rag, only to see Clare appearing from behind, taking a swift kill by severing the head. A clean cut formed on the trunk of the Yoma whilst the head soared into the air for a moment. The ambush was countered. Cool air from the night sent a chill running down the spines of all three Claymores. Clare had inflicted the least damage, except for the large gash on her left arm. Jeane had broken several ribs, and may have cracked her spine. As for Raquel, she seemed to be struggling over an issue; herself. Vine-like structure began to pierce deeper into her body, as if in desperation to merge completely. Her eyes widened; if she needed to survive, there was only one way she knew it could work, at the cost of her sanity, most probably. Her voice croaked, as her right hand began grasping to what it seemed a portion of the Yoma Clare had just defeated.

"Yoma… need more."

Her teeth dug through the meat that was dominated in blood before gulping it down without even chewing it. Clare witnessed the dread Raquel was doing, and set on to stop her from devouring Yoma meat. She began scraping out the flesh from Raquel's hand, but to no avail. Number Forty-Eight had chewed the portion whole, and her midriff had reacted. Almost in agony, she went into a crouching position, her arms wrapping and adding pressure to the midriff. She shut her eyes; her mouth went into an arc, a frowning one. Her teeth began to clench into each other before a howl of agony left her mouth. The wounds on her torso began to heal at a slightly quicker rate. Raquel began to spasm, as if she could not control her body. Clare grasped onto her, trying to at least comfort the healing Claymore.

From then, Jeane and Clare knew, there was something more about Raquel they did not know of. Raquel, Number Forty-Eight, seemed to be relying on Yoma meat to survive, or to even heal her injuries. A very gruesome thing as well, but it all seemed normal to the illegitimate Claymore. To Raquel, it was just another round of despair and agony. And she knew that would be the vicious cycle she could never escape.


	7. Scarla

_**Situation 7  
Scarla**_

The trio had been behind time by a whopping 3 days, considering the time needed to heal from the damage taken by the Yoma ambush. Jeane and Clare were well off on their way nearing Scarla, while Raquel was a little unsure about herself, considering that she had to cover up her exposed midriff with make-shift belts out of tree bark and some cloth. However, that was the real problem. The real question that remained was in Jeane's mind.

"How will the citizens react if they recognize me?" thought Number Nine as the trio passed through the gate without even any resistance from the guards.

Clare, noticing the need for Raquel to purchase new clothing, had decided to assist her in communication. It seemed that the twin-tailed woman was rather shy when it came to purchasing goods. That had Jeane a good time for her to venture around the familiar sights of her hometown, even though there was dread written in the atmosphere. Pacing her way to the centre of the town, the short haired blonde gazed at the fountain that glistened with clear, sparkling, water before the droplets create several; ripples to the small pool below.

"It's the same, just like last time," thought the blonde before her attention turned to a group of elderly people, who seemed to be whispering at each other, while stealing glances at her. "Looks like the gossipmongers are going to spread the news soon."

… … …

Back at the stretch of stores by several merchants, it seemed that Raquel was getting the hang of things when it came to obtaining merchandise. Not only she had managed to get about a dozen belts, she was able to obtain a black dress of the same variant that she was wearing right now. However, when one issue was solved, another popped up; they needed lodging, most probably an inn. Raquel and Clare exchanged glances, only blinking their eyes at each other before resorting to Jeane. But it seemed obvious, they had lost sight of Jeane ever since they begun sourcing through the merchandise.

"Oh bugger," muttered the silver haired Claymore, catching the one with blonde hair.

"What is it?" asked Clare.

"If we want to find Jeane…"

"Hmm?"

"We got to weave through this maze of people through this path towards the centre of the town. All the paths are linked to the centre of Scarla."

"How did-."

"The merchant of the previous store told me," grey eyes narrowed, trying to send her comrade a signal.

"I see," Number Forty-Seven replied shutting her eyes for a moment. "But the main problem now."

"We're going to be swept by the crowd if we're not careful- Clare!" Raquel informed the blonde, only to see a wall of people.

"Uhh… I need help here, Raquel," the silver eyed woman called out, who was being swept by the crowd that was heading the west gate of Scarla.

"I'll be there- whoa! Ack! This isn't a wall of people, this is a flash flood!" Twin-tails remarked sarcastically while holding onto her materials. "Clare, I'll be there- wait, this is the wrong direction! Oy!"

"This is not working out well," thought the shoulder length haired Claymore, still trying to be calm in the situation. "Seriously."

… … …

Finally realizing that she had lost both Claymores while on the way to the fountain, Jeane set on to look for them while multiple pair of eyes seemed to have locked onto her, most of them who had witnessed her exile from Scarla.

'_She's a Claymore now?'_

'_How can you tell when she's not even wearing that weird garb?'_

'_Blonde hair and silver eyes. Jeane used to have jet black hair and maroon eyes, can't you tell?'_

'_Oh, forgive me if I'm getting senile, old fart.'_

'_You're an old geezer yourself.'_

Number Nine had unknowingly heard the conversation. Indeed, she had changed a lot. No longer was the carefree Jeane who would simply lead a life without any hint of worry. Now, the only things she could do were to just live what she had right now, and what she can do to repay Clare. That thought already made Jeane realize how much of a difference she had changed. In fact, it was as if she was now a different person with a familiar face. Silver eyes gazed at the blue sky for a moment, before she went on down the path westwards, in search for the two missing lambs called Clare and Raquel.

"If Raquel's looking for some clothes, maybe she's in the west side of town," thought the blonde, using her memory as a guide.

Trying to ignore the stares from the familiar faces Jeane knew, she weaved her way down the path as local residents began to whisper all about her. Gossipmongers seemed to have spread it the moment she stepped foot back into Scarla. She glanced at the only fruit stall in town, where she would often nick an apple and then scramble for dear life.

Her eyes then took attention to a familiar building that hid its way from the bustling path. Leaving the rousing exclaims of merchandises on offer, her sabatons clacked audibly as she paced closer to it. The exterior was cracked, but it was still stable to live in. Noticing the familiar mahogany door, she gave a slight push, as a whistling whine was heard from its well-oiled hinges. No doubt, everything was still untouched. Stains of dried blood dominated the front side of the living room while the kitchen and the two bedrooms were left covered by mere cobwebs.

"My home," thought Jeane as her fingers ran through the furniture she had often used in her room.

The bed was still intact, but it had a thick layer of dust. Silver eyes gazed at the mirror that sat right next to the wardrobe that had its hinges wide open. Her right hand touched the cool surface of the fragile glass. The hairline crack on the top right corner of the mirror was still there- an audible clack was heard before a series of coughing.

"My word," commented a familiar voice. "It sure is dusty. You sure Jeane's here?"

"Yes," replied another.

By now, Number Nine knew obviously who they were. Pacing her way out of her former bedroom with a deadpan face, Jeane cleared her throat while aiming a finger at Number Forty-Eight.

"If you think it's dusty, then how about you try and clean the mess up?"

"As if I would do it-," Raquel countered while hr left hand hit the surface of a dusty table. "Ack!"

A cloud of dust began to envelop the threesome, sending them waving their arms in the air to clear their view. Twin-tails was already in flinging arm frenzy, forming more clouds of dust into the air. Clare had retreated slightly before grabbing a contraption in a form of a tray and began fanning it away from her. However, things were only worse for Jeane as the cloud of dust were actually being fanned towards her. She waved her right hand in a to and fro motion before pacing a few steps backwards before her voice came through.

"Clare, Raquel, stop it! I'm getting covered in dust if this goes on,"

However, it seemed that the two low ranked Claymore had ignored what Jeane said, and set on hurling more clouds of it towards her. In fit of anger, for the first time, she drew out her blade and did a horizontal strike to the air. A sudden change of direction soon turned back to the duo, covered by their very own assault. Clare and Raquel began coughing their way out of the 'clouds', only to see a very different expression formed on Jeane's face; a faint smile. Both low-ranked Claymore found it surprising, never had they seen Jeane in that appearance. However, the stares from the duo only led Number Nine to turn away before sputtering out a sentence.

"What, something on my face?"

"Come on," Raquel teased. "Give us that smile again."

"What smile?" replied Jeane, not looking at the silver haired lass.

"Don't try to ignore the question," grey eyes narrowed, knowing that the woman she was poking fun at was in denial. "Show us that smile again."

"I wasn't smiling."

"Yes, you did."

"That was caused by the clouds of dust you blew into me."

"Oh, come on. That's just excuses."

"No, it's not excuses. I call this 'Strategic retreat'."

"That does not apply here- Waugh!"

Chaos ensued again when the deadpan faced Clare resumed fanning the cloud of dust back into Raquel and Jeane, whom had finally realize how much of a hassle Number Forty-Seven could be.

"Clare, stop-ack! Dust in my nose…" sputtered Raquel before she sneezed audibly at Jeane by accident.

"Raquel, I swear I felt you sneezing onto me," Number Nine remarked.

"No, I wasn't sneezing at you. I was blowing out wind-."

"You farted?" Jeane barged in, raising an eyebrow.

"No! I said I was just blowing the dust away!" Raquel countered soon after.

… … …

However, as it seems, in the midst of all chaos that took place in Jeane's former house, a shadow crept past the lonely path while minimizing her Yoki. Her eyes shone crimson maroon before a hint of brown came through. It was obvious, she had expected the Claymores to come for her head, but she never realized one fact; the fact that could make or break a friendship.

"Jeane, hope you're not here for my head. Please."


	8. Shock

**_Situation 8  
Shock _**

Only a day had passed in Scarla, but for Clare and the rest, it seemed they needed to do some odd jobs for the time being, considering that they were running low on money. Raquel was reluctant at first, most obviously that she did not want to. But after Jeane's presence in the decision, it only made her agree to the plan. However, it was the best time for the trio to investigate about the Awakened Being that was running loose in the town. And that was extremely so for Number Nine, who was obviously concerned about the town, even though she knew... eyes of dissatisfaction from the elderly were literally glaring at her return.

Raquel had headed out rather quickly, obviously not wanting to be caught slacking around by the high ranked Claymore. Pacing her way closer to the bustling path ahead, grey eyes turned to glance from a distance, gazing to what it seemed to be the sky. She stared at it, as a seemingly round shadow got bigger- an audible splat was heard. Twin tails did not utter a word, but she knew what had happened.

"Aye! Sorry missy! Was teaching my new worker how to make pizza when the dough managed to fly out," came over a man in his fifties, most probably the owner of an exotic eatery.

"Hmm," thought Raquel before she voiced it out. "Does the eatery have any vacancy?"

"Yes, we do have a vacancy, after one of our workers was eaten up by an Awakened Being," his voice began to soften when he mentioned the two sensitive words before changing topics. "We better get into the eatery; I'll give you a job to do."

Jeane glanced from where she stood; somehow amused that Number Forty-Eight was able to get a job via accident. Clanks from another pair of sabatons caught her attention; she turned to look at Clare, who seemed a bit edgy in this particular day. Maybe it was due to the fact that an Awakened Being might just be anyone in Scarla. However, before Jeane could even uttere a word, Number Forty-Seven had came up with a suggestion.

"How about a pub?" the short Claymore suggested. "Most of it might be gossips and such, but at least we can nitpick the rumours out, considering if they're roaring drunk by then."

"We could try that, considering that they may a very low chance of recalling what they had said, since the only pub in Scarla serves vodka and raki."

"Raki?"

"It's an alcoholic drink from the east. If the said drink mixes with water, it turns into white, like milk. The drink's alias is 'Lion's Milk'."

"I see," Clare answered, though she was amused that Jeane knew about alcohol. "We better head for the pub then."

"Let's. Hope my memory serves me well."

**… … … **

Somewhere within the walls of Scarla, a lass of about 25 winters paced her way down through the alleyway that connects the north and east path of the town. Her hair was of long, wavy auburn that ends just past her hips. Eyes were of brown dominance and her busts were hardly noticeable for a woman. Staring at the ground for almost the whole time, she was then halted by a group of lecherous men, most obviously interested by her slender torso.

"So what do we have 'ere?" grinned a burly man in his late thirties. "Wanna hang out wit' us?"

His comrades seemed to be grinning in unison as he finished his question. The girl remained, not answering a question. Instead, she tilted her head upwards, gazing at the five-some as her irises turned crimson blood. Her mouth went to an arc, a voice which came in a hissy tone.

"It might be daylight, but I'm famished. I wonder if the five of you taste wonderful."

"What are you, a cannibal?" said the leader, who was not amused by her comment; most obviously he had not heard of a rampant Awakened Being in the town.

"No," she replied, before a wave of what it seemed to be black vines of sorts emerged from behind before striking towards the five men. "Just a hungry lass."

Unheard screams from the men echoed through the alleyway, as birds that were loitering in the specific region took flight, away from the incessant noise. Several citizens gazed at the flying critters, with their faces filled with dread. They knew… the Awakened Being had struck again.

Audible sounds of bones cracking, and blood spilling ringed into the lass' ears. It was the norm for her; she had to feed on human meat just to survive. However, it seemed that her craving had somehow skyrocketed when she felt a lone presence of a Claymore. It had a very faint flow of Yoki, but she was sure it was a Claymore; a weak one. Crimson eye faded back to brown, as she turned around, pacing her way nearer to the source, whilst the black vines around her devoured every single bit of blood stains that were on her simple white and maroon dress.

"Who is that weakling called a Claymore I'm sensing?" thought the girl, disappearing into the pitch black shadows.

**… … … **

In the pub, Clare and Jeane were surprisingly, off to a good start as they began their rounds working as bartenders. Even without consuming the Yoma suppressants, it seemed that the men here were not bothered by their Claymore traits. Clare was busy tending to the glasses that needed cleaning while Jeane went on with a light-hearted interrogation. She eyed for one of the most probable drunk men, and started off a conversation.

"So, how's the vodka?" Number nine started off smoothly, using the training she had back in the organization.

"Very strong! Very nice!" was his reply, as his face flushed red by the alcohol. "What do ya want, missy?"

"Do you know," Jeane paused, before resuming with a rather uneasy tone. "About the Awakened Being here in town?"

The drunken man seemed to have turned serious after he heard the two sensitive words. But no matter he did not looked bothered by it that much.

"Aye, everyone here in Scarla knows about this. This Awakened Being you call only comes out at night, after around 9. The curfew starts at 8, and no one roams from then onwards. If you're to still work after 8, might as well, stay in the pub, and work till next morning. But you're risking yourself as being the bait for the Awakened Being," he paused, gulping what was left in his mug. "But, I've not heard how the Awakened Being looked like. Go ask any other drunken blokes in the pub, or even that missy at the far end of the area. Some say she's the survivor of the Awakened Being in Scarla."

A left twitching index finger pointed to the direction where the woman was. Sitting almost upright was the woman in her late thirties; she sported jet black shoulder length hair, and seemed to have maroon eyes. Her midriff was exposed, revealing her slight stomach muscles. Her clothing consisted of a loose black top with a leather overcoat, and brown trousers that seemed slightly tattered from the calve area and below. Her shoes were of dried bloodstained canvas with a seemingly metal piece on the front tip. However, the biggest attention Jeane was staring at was her torso. Even with those muscles, a long scar ran almost across it diagonally. This might be the person Number Nine might be looking for, and she knew who she was before Jeane was kicked out from her hometown some years ago.

While trying to look as a worker, the short haired blonde paced her way closer to the said woman, only to see lady responding, "I assume you're going to ask me about the Awakened Being, am I right?"

"Yes-," Jeane's words were cut off.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to recall that moment, unless it's something important-," the woman's words were shut off when Jeane barged in while keeping her volume as low as possible.

"You're looking at a Claymore right now, a former resident of Scarla if I might want to rub it in, Kisara."

The woman gasped, somehow backing away for a short moment before calming herself down. Her eyes then squinted at the blonde; after she had mention that she was a former resident of Scarla, and her name, something familiar came into Kisara's mind. Her eyes widened when she recalled it; no doubt, it was Jeane, the one who was exiled from the town after her family was devoured by the Yoma.

"So, Jeane," the woman shrugged. "You came back to defeat the Awakened Being, right? Well, here's the bad news; the last time a group of Claymores came here was 2 years ago, and they were wiped out, not even an hour later. Heck, if the Claymores were not able to defeat it, then we might as well use the money on something else while putting a curfew."

She downed half of the mug's contents of the vodka before resuming, "But if you insist how she looked like as a human; you may have seen her back in the past. I'll give you a hint; your-."

Chaos ensued from outside the pub. Citizens were already scrambling away for their lives; Clare and Jeane knew what it was, probably. An Awakened Being. With haste, the two Claymores unleashed their weapons from the disguised bags and rushed to the scene. There might be a high chance the Awakened Being might go after Raquel, since she was the weakest. However, upon reaching the area exploited; the fountain, Jeane was found dumbfounded. There, the Awakened Being stood with its black vines behind her, obviously ready for assault. However, it looked slack, harmless in this moment. Silver eyes widened when she noticed who the Awakened Being was. There, standing right in front of Raquel, who was unarmed…

"Alice," muttered Jeane.

**_Add-on notes: _**Yes, there is such an alcoholic drink called 'Raki'. This drink hails from Turkey, in which if the drink mixes with water, it'll turn into white colour, like milk. Nickname of the drink is as stated; "Lion's Milk"


	9. Incoming Conflict

_**Situation 9  
Incoming Conflict**_

Silence ensued around the people involved with the sudden appearance of the Awakened Being in Scarla. Brown eyes scanned the source, which seemed to direct towards Number Forty-Eight who did not even seem to look like a Claymore, judging from her clothing. But a possibility came to her mind; she might have been doing undercover work, hence she could hunt her down with valuable information. That had Alice into a world of rage as she mustered a series of black entities that formed into spikes. Raquel stayed put, knowing that if she were to evade it; even if she could, the crowd behind her would probably end up being victims of the assault. She knew the wounds on her midriff might still be recovering, heck, every once in a while, it would send her into a crouching mess. But between the people and herself, she would rather see one die then a couple.

Brown eyes from the Awakened Being narrowed before her voice came in a rather slurred, hissy tone, "Weak."

Everything seemed too fast for Raquel to even react should she even move a step. All she could hear was constant piercing of the projectile spikes stabbing through her body. Grey eyes widened; she could not even see the spikes moving at all; it was as if they already appeared into her body. Her legs began to weaken, but she knew she had to keep standing, at least guard the people behind her.

Alice seemed all too annoyed, the fact that a pathetic being with Yoki still insisted on inflicting more damage to her body. But a wild thought ran into her mind; maybe, just maybe, that Claymore might be a masochist. A wide grin left her mouth, another series of spikes formed behind her, ready for another round of stabbing to the said Claymore. She unleashed them, expecting a bloody end of a blade wielding witch.

It never came. Instead, an assault in a form of a Flash Sword disintegrated the projectiles before Clare grabbed the injured being away from the scene. Brown eyes glanced at the other Claymore, her growing hatred as she realized she, too, might be another weakling of a being. However, things were made complicated when a high ranked silver eyed witch took her attention with constant diagonal slashes at the black entities as a distraction. Alice swiveled, glaring at the other Claymore, only to…

"Jeane," her mind thought, retreating slightly. "Why are you here?"

Even before Number Nine could inflict more damage to the Awakened Being, the monster had dissolved herself into forms of vines, escaping though the dark alleyways.

"Raquel!" Clare's voice came through. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm still all right," wheezed Number Forty-Eight, slowly removing the spikes on her torso; about 12 of them. "Guess I'm too slow to even evade it."

"You could evade them," the blonde implied in a rather fuming tone.

"At the cost of a couple of lives?" the silver haired lass countered while wincing at the pain when each spike was removed. "Help me get up to my feet. I should be able to walk."

Reluctantly assisting Raquel up, Clare stayed put for a moment as she viewed Number Forty-Eight trying to make her way back to Jeane's house, at least she could recuperate. However, it seemed that Raquel's own legs were against it as she collapses to the ground with a rather audible thud. Not even a word, the shoulder length haired Claymore went up to her to assist before turning her head back, glancing at Jeane, who was still in the same position after the Awakened Being had fled.

**… … … **

Jeane seemed all too quiet, in fact just too quiet to even call 'quiet' after the ordeal. All she had been doing was gazing through the window of her house. Number Forty-Seven was a bit annoyed by the fact that Jeane was in such a mood where even low ranked Claymores would call it 'pathetic'.

"I think this is the best time for you, Jeane, to explain the situation right now," said Clare in a rather serious tone. "No point hanging around like that the whole day."

Number Nine was a little hesitant about it, but in order to accomplish their goal, she joined in with Number Forty-Seven who was sitting around the dining table. Raquel, on the other hand, was lying in bed, trying to get her multiple wounds healed quickly, even though utilizing her Yoki seemed to have little or no effect to quicken the pace. Her eyes would only turn into a lighter shade of yellow, and that was it. In fact, it felt that she was unable to even use 10 percent of her Yoki. Her thoughts raged, realizing that if the other two Claymores were to make their move on this night, she would probably have little to no chance of even defeating that wretched Awakened Being.

Silence dominated the duo. Silver eyes from Clare stared at Jeane, most obviously trying to signal her to start the discussion. Jeane had noticed it for quite a while, but she was able to shrug it off, taking her attention to the lower ranked Claymore instead. A sigh left Clare's mouth, knowing that this might not be going anywhere. She got up from the seat, pacing her way towards the main door, when Jeane spoke.

"It's pretty much complicated on how I met Alice," Number Nine implied, making the standing blonde to turn around. "She was once in my group when we were hunting down an Awakened Being somewhere in the east. She was Number Forty-Two, but had the potential to be in the thirties range. Her biggest flaw was that she was prone to overusing her Yoki; no similar to a man's variant of releasing Yoki. Because of that, we had to abandon the mission, as she was already awakened by then, and fighting against the one we were to hunt down. By then, we had lost contact of Alice, and the organization now labeled her as an Awakened Being."

Jeane paused for a moment for a breather before continuing, "However, they had underestimated Alice's power as an Awakened; her strength was rumoured to be as similar as the top ten Claymores. I maybe Number Nine in the list, but we may never know where Alice might be ranked at. Who knows, she might be sitting as Number One."

The silver haired woman lying on the bed overheard the conversation from the two official Claymores. Now she knew what an Awakened Being is; a Claymore that is 'awakened', in what way? That question lingered in her mind. Never had she felt, or even seen how a Claymore might turn into an Awakened Being. Her voice croaked for a moment, before a clear one came through, catching Jeane's attention.

"How can a Claymore be an Awakened Being? I've never heard of this connection."

"I assume you were kept in the dark about this," replied Number Nine, her silver eyes looking the illegitimate member. "Basically it's people like us, even you as well, overusing Yoki to the point it cannot be reversed. If you use at about 80 to 90 percent of your Yoki, it's the point of no return, and hence forth, one turns into an Awakened Being. And do note, if you become one, you will crave for human guts, even Claymore's."

Raquel seemed too shocked to even reply after that explanation made by the short haired blonde. But most probably to her condition, she might not be able to even be an Awakened.

"Guess I'm not the one who is able to turn into an Awakened Being. In fact, I can barely hit 10 percent of my Yoki-," her words were snuffed out by the commanding voice of Jeane, who seemed extremely serious about the matter.

"Even if you can't hit such a high percentage of Yoki, there's always that 1 percent in which you could end up being one. If you use that mindset you have right now, then most probably you're running a higher risk of turning into an Awakened Being than the rest of us."

Raquel kept quiet soon after. It seemed that she had probably hit the most sensitive issue about a Claymore. One pair of eyes from Jeane stared at the silver haired woman, somehow dissatisfied by her remark. Clare kept silent about the matter; it was best for her not to interfere. Number Nine then took her attention to the shoulder length haired blonde, switching topics.

"We'll head out. I'll plan out an idea along the way," she said, obviously trying to calm herself down from the recent rise in anger.

"W-wait!" Raquel called out; stretching her right arm out, leaning as well, to the point she fell out from the bed.

However, her voice fell on deaf ears as Jeane left the scene. Clare paused for a moment, glancing at Number Forty-Eight, who was getting up to a sitting position, before her voice came through.

"Jeane's is actually right about this, Raquel. This is a serious matter; not meant to be taken lightly," and soon after that, the blonde, too left the dwelling, leaving Raquel behind to recover from the wounds.

The illegitimate Claymore could only sit around- she punched the supports of the bed, cursing under her breath. She realized that there was more to being a Claymore, even if she were the outcast one. No wonder the duo were so tense when they first met; danger lurked at every corner, as if something were to be after them, just to get them to awaken. She dragged herself up to her feet, the using the walls as a support as she maneuvered through the house, pacing her way closer to her blade.

She grasped it with haste before collapsing to the ground once again. Not a word left her mouth. Not even an expression. Instead, she simply hugged the claymore closer to her, then into a crouching position. Grey eyes stared at what it seemed to be as dried traces of blood, most probably Jeane's parents' death by the Yoma. She then glanced at the empty stone wall for no apparent reason. She knew she had to do something about the Awakened Being as well. She wanted to defeat it if she could; but she knew she could not. Too weak to even kill a Yoma fairly. She had to use the surroundings to defeat them; that was what she had to use often in order to survive before she met both Jeane and Clare. She was officially pathetic.

"No," she muttered; before her eyes glowed light yellow. "I'll force it out then."


	10. Fallen Angel

_**Situation 10  
Fallen Angel**_

Clare had forgotten what the time was, considering that even a minute's wait felt like it lasted for eternity. Moonlight was the only source of illumination as she stood her ground around the centre of the town, where the fountain was located. Being the bait for Alice to appear was already nerve-wrecking enough, let alone actually being exposed to any form of assault if she were to drop her guard even for a second. Jeane, on the other hand, hid in the shadows, waiting for the right time to further distract and disturb Alice's mind. Number Nine's presence seemed to have the biggest impact for the target.

Silver eyes took notice of a swift figure before her attention turned to Clare. Jeane knew… she was here, lurking in the shadows, eyeing on the two beings that stood out in the open- wait. Two people?

Number Forty-Seven grasped her blade in front of her, towards a probable location where the monster might be emerging. Intensity increased incredibly. She was even ready to initiate a quick upward diagonal slash, before she halted. It was not even the petite figure that Alice had. It was someone else; a human.

"Oy!" said the person, still in the shadow. "What are you doing out here? Get back inside! We're patrolling the area, so you can get back inside where it's safer."

Jeane swore under her breath in the shadows; the voice was familiar. It was Kisara, the one back at the pub. It was no wonder she got that scar across her bare midriff. The muscled woman paced her way closer to Number Forty-Seven, not knowing the dangers that Clare was luring Alice out.

"Hey, are you even listening to what I just said- you're a Claymore as well?" sputtered Kisara upon realizing the silver eyes and blonde hair from Clare.

By then, the Awakened Being had begun her assault. Clare's legs felt light, as if it was trying to signal her to move. Number Forty-Seven paced backwards, then to the front with a leap. Silver eyes widened; an audible boom was heard behind her. Black vines protruded out from the ground, before disappearing though it. The action died down once again. Clare spun around, looking at the damage on the ground, while the human was thrown into her defense; she grabbed hold of her Zweihander that was slung to her back. Maroon eyes wandered, looking for the areas the Awakened Being might attack next.

"It's that Voracious Eater, or Awakened Being, am I right?" asked Kisara, not even bothered to introduce her name.

The human paced her way, exactly opposite where Clare was-another boom ensued; this time, right in between the duo. Kisara leaped away while the Zweihander's body was used to shield her back. Clare stood at the same position, swiveled, and set on hacking the black entity away; at least it would probably prevent the monster from using more of its sneaky attacks.

However, while Clare was pre-occupied with the one in front of her, another had set on attacking the human by raining spike-like projectiles towards her. Kisara swore under her breath as she used the wide body of the great sword as a form of a shield as she scrambled for cover; no where. Instead, she made sure she ran in various arcs, hoping that the accuracy might drop due to constant direction changing. It did help for a while, that is, until one of the projectiles managed to dig its way deep into her left calve. The black haired woman let out an audible yelp, now simply limping her way into a dark alleyway, hoping it could cover her from the assault; and it did, only to see Clare getting pounded even more than before. Kisara glanced at the deep wound on her left leg, and yanked the spike out without a second thought. A piercing, searing pain ripped through her body, making her stumbling to the cobbled flooring, both of her hands wrapping around the wound that was of a size of about a thumbs side by side.

Silver eyes turned to bright shades of yellow with cat-like ones when she sensed that more assaults were raining towards her. She unleashed a hard overhead strike to the raining spikes before dashing her way out of the situation while looking for the source- there she was, standing on a somehow derelict piece of building that had been left abandoned. Pacing her way in several arcs, just to keep the accuracy off, Clare then charged towards the Awakened Being, leaping via the crumbly window ledges that gave way after she kicked herself upwards. Her right hand was ready to initiate the Flash Sword, just waiting for the right time to do so. With the last leap to the roof, Clare lunged forward with the blade in front of her, only to see no one in sight. The Awakened Being had simply disappeared, that is, until she heard the human's voice in a form of an audible scream.

"Damn it, die!"

A flurry of black vines launched itself towards Kisara, only to be deflected by the body of the immense blade. Leaping towards the back in that split moment; she then side-stepped to the right swiftly before swinging the blade at the entities that were aiming for her. Several pounding thuds ensued by the severed pieces that seemed to be getting thicker each time. Knowing that fatigue would kick in sooner if she went on doing so, she initiated a hard overhead strike, thrusting the vines away while she fled from the area, obviously trying to find a spot so she could tend to the wound again after being disrupted earlier on.

Without a breath of word, Clare leaped from the rooftop, her blade held exactly in front of her, aiming for the Awakened Being which seemed to be motionless in that spot on the ground. Number Forty-Seven glanced at Alice's position- Clare swerved to the right, then downwards. It seemed that the Awakened Being had expected her assault. She went onwards for the overhead strike for Alice's right arm. A moment ceased for Number Forty-Seven; a sudden surge of Yoki was felt. She blinked her eyes soon after; Alice was not there. She swiveled to the left; not there. Silver eyes widened- just at that split second her feet touched earth, Clare lunged forward with a hard kick. A horrendous boom came through from above. That sudden attack had Number Forty-Seven shaken.

"I was just above her, and she went above me?" she thought before a thrust was felt on her left, courtesy of Kisara this time with her left calve wrapped firmly with cloth.

"Don't just stand there!" the toned muscled woman exclaimed, grabbing her Zweihander that was struck to the ground. "Get round her, and try to find her weakest spot."

"Just behead her," Clare implied, though it was the obvious solution. "But how?"

A barrier of black entity separated the two with a swift assault. Kisara swiveled and ran to the other direction, then to a semi-circle. Alice soon found herself landing on the rooftop of the same derelict building. The human took notice of the Awakened Being's position and decided to do the insane. With one hand holding onto the hilt of the great sword, she swung it around to gain momentum and inertia. As swiftly a she could, Kisara hurled the blade towards the supports of the building. From then onwards, everything seemed a blur for the lady in her thirties.

Dust kicked up, leaving her defenseless, considering that she was unable to see in such situation- a sudden thrust came slamming into her midriff. A trail of saliva, then blood left her mouth before inertia sent her slamming into the fountain's statue. Blood splattered all over the fountain, considering the irregular shape the structure had. Her skull cracked, to a point it could almost shatter. Her ribs were all broken, the fragments piercing through almost every internal organ. Crimson stained her face as if like she was bathed with it. An audible gasp was heard from her mouth before she went silent; dead. Jeane did nothing, except for muttering a few words.

"Rest in Peace."

**… … … **

A wide grin formed on Alice; it seemed that she was amused by how pathetic a human could do to attack, let along a Claymore like- a flurry of assault sent her retreating for a split moment before utilizing her vines to counter it. But it proved to be useless. Clare's flash sword pieced through the black entity and was lunging straight towards the Awakened Being. A sense of threat kicked into Alice's mind; she charged before swiveling around the Claymore's assault before using her vines to initiate a rear strike. Clare somehow foresaw it; she ducked swiftly before kicking a building wall to propel herself towards Alice once again. Another bout of flash sword attack came piercing though the endless barriers of black entities before a surprise strike hit her.

Not even a word, she glanced downwards; a claymore stabbed through the left side of her chest. Number Forty-Seven was shocked; Alice still kept her blade, even though she already had turned into an Awakened Being. Alice went on by swinging the stabbed Clare around before throwing her aside like a toy. Such a serious wound she had inflicted, Clare was reluctant to give up. Charging towards her again, both her hands grasped the hilt of the blade. Just moments before Alice could counter; the Claymore disappeared into thin air, reappearing from the back while her eyes glowed yellow. However, Alice knew what was going to occur, and set on defying it. Spikes came out from the shadows all of them violently aiming straight for Clare.

Knowing that it would be suicidal to lay a hit on Alice this time round, Number Forty-Seven took her attention to the incoming projectiles that were coming straight for her from the bottom. With the blade aiming downwards, she initiated another bout of the Flash Sword, literally shredding the spikes without even realizing that Alice was simply toying with her. That was the moment another Claymore stepped in, ready to utilize her Drill Sword.

"Clare!" exclaimed Jeane before charging towards the monster without any hesitation.

Number Forty-Seven, without a reply, she left an illusion of herself before Number Nine came through it. Her eyes shone gold as she began her assault. Alice was dumbfounded that her former comrade was assaulting her, hence leaving her open for Jeane's attack. As the twisting blade pierced the torso of the Awakened Being, like a vacuum, Number Nine's strike went through it as if like paper. A sudden wail left Alice's mouth before collapsing to the ground. From Clare's observation, Jeane's assault proved fatal for the former Claymore. However…

A leer formed on her mouth as the Awakened Being swung the vines as a hurling projectile. Number Nine swiveled just in time to defend herself from the sudden attack. The inertia from the strike sent Jeane flying through the air before slamming into a structure with a horrendous boom. Clare's eyes widened; never had she known that they would be facing a powerful Awakened Being, even though she was formerly ranked at Forty-Two.

"This is…" muttered the blonde before another source of Yoki caught her attention for a split moment. "Don't tell me Raquel- what are you thinking coming here even though you're still healing from the wounds?"

**… … … **

Pacing her way towards the centre of Scarla, she used her blade as a support while desperately trying to pick up her pace. Something was not right; she tried forcing herself to unleash more Yoki than she could to quicken the healing time. It made her heart wrench to a point it was as if she was trying to extinguish her own life. Her breaths were heavy, in fact, she felt all weird. She did not feel human at all.

Raquel touched the surface of her face; nothing wrong with it. Her wounds were still healing, but at a faster rate. She could not tell how much Yoki she had exerted; it could have been a mere 15 percent after all that meaningless forcing. She rubbed her eyes; they seemed to hurt. Finding a small pool of water collected by a basin, with one hand, she cupped it and splashed it onto her face. She then gazed at her own reflection. Indeed, there was something different about her face. She knew that using Yoki would cause their eyes to become cat-like, and yellow in colour.

"My eyes are yellow, and not of lighter variant when I exerted Yoki?" thought Number Forty-Eight. "But when I stopped using them, they still retain grey eyes, not silver."

"Raquel!" Clare's voice came through. "Look out!"

"Wha-arg!"


	11. Enough

**_Situation 11  
Enough _**

"Raquel, look out!" Clare's voice rang though Number Forty-Eight's ears, making her swivel to the source.

"Wha-arg!" the illegitimate Claymore yelped, shutting her eyes as Alice swung her blade towards her.

She thought she had bled in another area of her body, but it did not. Instead, her claymore that was used as a support to keep Raquel standing managed to evade the attack. She opened her eyes; a fist from the Awakened Being came rushing into her face, sending the silver haired witch collapsing to the ground, yet again.

"I guess you should have listened to your comrade, weakling," hissed the monster, mustering several spikes, all ready to end Raquel's life.

Grey eyes widened; she had to do something quickly. Her right hand was still holding tightly onto the hilt of her great sword. The projectiles were launched; in any second it could pierce through her, deeming her efforts to recover useless. Raquel reacted; she was not sure what she did.

She did not inflict any damage. Number Forty-Eight was dumbfounded; she swung the blade in an upward arc, simply deflecting the targets away. But no matter, she had to get out of the situation, quickly. Dragging her right leg up soundly, she kicked herself away, before deciding to utilize her Yoki once again. Her legs were still not responding; Raquel had to do something about that- Alice charged towards her again, this time with a charging strike straight for her neck.

"Damn it!" the Claymore swore, swinging her blade again, this time trying to parry the assault.

The blade missed the target, while Alice's unguarded strike left Raquel a deep gash on her right chest area. A choke was heard from Number Forty-Eight before she spat out crimson, spilling it onto the dusty cobbled stone flooring. She felt she was dying; the searing pain that ripped through her body, the giddiness that made her vision as if she was spinning. Clare entered the scene with an overhead strike, in hopes that the Awakened Being would stop toying around with the weakest Claymore. A wide leer formed on her mouth; Alice spun, using the body of the claymore to swat Clare aside. Instead, a hard clang ensued before a kick from Number Forty-Seven shoved the monster away, hitting against the wall as the final result. The blonde could not waste anytime getting all concerned about Raquel- she lunged forward; ready to initiate the Flash Sword. Alice shot her way towards Number Forty-Seven with a blood drenched blade; she launched a series of quick diagonal slashes, a strong equivalent to Clare's Flash Sword. The blonde initiated it; clangs and sparks from the blades ensued, each move deflecting each other's attacks.

Raquel took this time to get moving once again. The wound on the right side of her chest was deep; it looked like that she had broken a rib or two from that strike. It had been a while since she had utilised her Yoki; it proved useless. It infuriated her, right to the very bone. Her patience had snapped. All the while back at Jeane's dwelling, Raquel was trying not to go overboard with forcing her Yoki to go past 10 percent, but this time, she had enough.

"That's it!" exclaimed Number Forty-Eight, as she concentrated on getting her Yoki up. "I had enough!"

**… … … **

Jeane dashed her way to where Clare and Alice were dueling while her right arm was already twisting at number 15, five more before before she unleashes her Drill Sword. Things were getting out of hand for both Claymores. However, she had never expected Raquel to be in the scene; trying to increase her Yoki with anger.

Grey eyes turned to yellow ones while a sickening aura of black wrapped around her, instead of the usual blue for the other Claymores. Fifteen percent; that was what Raquel had estimated her current Yoki status. If she were to quicken her healing, she had to go higher than that. Clare was disturbed to the fact that Number Forty-Eight had snapped, and there maybe a possibility that she could end up as an Awakened if she were to push too hard. A thrust from the Awakened Being shoved the blonde aside, before a quick leg swipe knocked her of her feet. Alice seemed determined to end Raquel's life, for being too weak as a Claymore.

With her sword, she held it in an overhead fashion, then into a quick downward, diagonal slash towards Raquel's head. Thirty percent, thought the silver haired lass, before she reacted with a quick jump to evade the assault. However, her landing was far from perfect as she crashed into a closed fruit stall, stopping her Yoki forcing. Thirty percent was still a low number for Raquel, but she had to make do with that; she just wanted to get her wounds heal quickly, so she could be fit to fight, just. The deep gash on her chest began to heal at the speed of what a normal Claymore would do. This was enough for Number Forty-Eight. All she needed to do right now was just fight along side the other two Claymores. She need not have to take the kill.

"Raquel, guard upwards!" Jeane exclaimed.

The silver haired woman swung her blade overhead before she kicked herself away from the mess. A loud, crunching sound of wood ripping apart and splinters flying about were heard. Using the blade as her braking, she then charged towards the Awakened Being recklessly, with a clumsy downward diagonal strike. Alice emerged from the wreck, head-butting Number Forty-Eight away through her torso. Still unable to do a proper landing, Raquel stumbled to the ground back first before her blade pierced a woodwork next to her.

"Raquel, get back! Clare, distract!" Jeane commanded as she readies herself with her unique assault. "Twenty-five…"

The shoulder length haired blonde charged, with her blade on her right, about to launch a quick slash. Alice leered in excitement, ready to parry the Claymore's attack. The Awakened Being swung the blade downwards; an illusion was shown split made by the assault-.

"Now!" Number Forty-Seven yelled, appearing behind Alice while doing a quick series of the Flash Sword before disappearing.

Number Nine began charging towards the monster, just waiting for the right time to release its terror. Her eyes widened; now, she thought. Unleashing the Drill Sword, realising that she was somehow cornered with Clare waiting to simply prevent her from escaping, Alice used the body of the blade to block the assault. The point of Jeane's claymore touched the central ridge of the monster's sword. The short haired blonde applied immense pressure to the defense, breaking it when the claymore Alice held was shoved aside. However, much to Jeane's hopes, the Awakened Being had managed to evade slightly, only ripping Alice's right arm completely.

Raquel witnessed the attack Number Nine had initiated. It might be low in accuracy, but the damage caused was immense. Never she seen such power a Claymore could execute.

"My arm! You destroyed my right arm!" exclaimed the monster, before calling forth several more spikes that crept out from the shadows. "You'll pay! Jeane as well!"

Like a bombardment of arrows, Clare and Jeane began quick slashing the projectiles away while Raquel was literally trying to seek cover, only to find nothing. She had to deflect the spikes as well. But the multitude of it prevented it-.

"Raquel, remember what I said when I first tested you; _you have the flow_! Skills don't matter!" Jeane exclaimed in the midst of the chaos.

The silver haired woman was still unsure about the comment back then. She already proved herself that she was utterly useless at fighting. But to have flow without all that, it seemed ridiculous. But no matter, she had to try it out. With the claymore held her right hand, she swung it while looking at the projectiles that may hit her. She launched her first swipe; majority managed to bypass her defense, sending her leaping backwards. Raquel then went on with another, this time a bit faster; more still rained towards her. That defense was not working. She had to think up with another one; parrying it with swift movements. With the body of the blade held horizontally, she went for a quick upward and downward motion. Fewer projectiles passed through the defense. She applied about 15 percent of her Yoki, at least increasing her speed slightly with a bit of force from the resistant 10 percent. Her eyes glowed yellow as she paced her way closer to Alice, deflecting the constant assaults by her. Spikes passed through her defense once in a while, of which about two pierced into her right arm. Jeane and Clare were aware of what Number Forty-Eight was doing, but it was risky. Alice could be waiting for the right moment to attack.

As the silver haired woman was literally about a metre from the Awakened Being, ceasing her defense, she initiated a quick horizontal slash towards the neck. It failed; instead, Alice spun, using vines this time round, to swat the weak Claymore away from the scene. The sudden thrust sent Raquel slamming into another stall, this time a garments one. But no matter, it did stop the monster from unleashing the immense spike assault. Number Forty-Eight got up to her feet, coughing out the dust that seemed to kick up when she crashed into it. Her eyes widened; the nauseous, sickening feeling kicked in. She turned around, stepping away from the wreck; another thrust sent her collapsing to the ground, once again. However, receiving the thrust assault was very much recoverable compared to what she had seen if she were not to move. Spikes shot out from the cobbled path; an obvious death move.

Clare and Jeane witnessed the scene between the monster and Raquel. Not in a good position, considering that Alice seemed determined to kill her for some reason. But no matter, they had to defeat it; Number Nine dashed her way past the Awakened Being via the rooftops while Number Forty-Seven charged towards her with another Flash Sword on standby. Too busy tending with the scrambling, weak Claymore, Alice went on using her vines to literally stab Raquel, only to see it evaded every single moment.

"Just stay there and die!" the former Claymore hissed, before her target disappeared in a blink of an eye. "What?"

Her head spun to the left; the short haired blonde had carried her target to safety, oblivious to the fact that another had struck again with the same incessant move. Alice was dumbfounded; she thought she could get away with the assaults like the Flash Sword, considering that she could use her blade to deflect it, but it did not. Her back seemed to be sucked in by the move, leaving her to use the vines to pull her out from the situation. Grievous damage had been done to her body, courtesy of both Clare and Jeane.

"Raquel," muttered Number Nine, letting the weak being up to her feet. "Try doing diagonal slashes as a start; use your Yoki to increase the agility of the attack."

Number Forty-Eight never said a word while Jeane dashed her way towards Alice with her blade in her right hand, ready to somehow lure the weakening Awakened Being towards Raquel. The silver haired woman was still unsure whether she could do it, or not. Alice swung a hard overhead strike towards Clare; the blonde parried it with a swift upwards movement, at the same time, causing the former Claymore to lose grip of her blade. Frustrated, she utilized her projectiles again, this time all concentrated to the two Claymores that were trying to corner her.

Jeane and Clare had expected it, knowing that this might be the right time for Raquel to counter it as a surprise attack. Number Forty-Eight saw the moment she could strike. Her thoughts concentrated on the diagonal movements of the blade, so she could memorise the flow. Barely remembering it, she dashed towards the monster while on guard, ready to at least deflect the spikes should Alice suddenly change targets. And she did, the Awakened Being glared at the weak witch, targeting her with deep hatred. Clare had to take action this time round; leaving a quick illusion of herself, she reappeared behind the being, this time stabbing her blade to the back. Alice gasped before a sudden inertia sent her crashing to the ground face first. Raquel reacted quickly by stabbing her blade to the said being's back as well before turning to Jeane.

"Jeane! Kill it!" said Number Forty-Eight in a rather rushed tone.

However, Number Nine did not; instead, she did the same as all the three, before answering, "Raquel, your kill."

The silver haired woman paused, surprised that the high ranked Claymore allowed her, the illegitimate one, to defeat the Awakened Being. Not another breath of word left her mouth. She yanked the great sword out, and did a swift diagonal slash, straight through the neck. Soon after that Jeane and Clare began hacking the torso away, just in case if the Awakened Being were to have the ability to recover soon after.

**… … … **

Silence took over soon after. All that remained of the Awakened Being was a bloody mess on the cobbled path. Raquel, slumped to the ground in a sitting position, while wincing at the two spikes that were still at her right arm. Slowly, she yanked them out; each time she did so, spurts of blood shot out from the gaping wounds before Raquel utilized her Yoki at about twenty percent- wait, twenty percent? Clare paced her way towards the said Claymore-.

"Raquel, test your Yoki; how high can you go this time round? It seemed that your Yoki feel a bit stronger than last time," asked Number Forty-Seven, only to be interrupted by the high ranked Claymore.

"She doesn't have to; she probably have the ability to each just thirty percent this time round. But it seems enough for her in terms of agility and recovery time."

"Seems so," replied the silver haired woman. "But to go past that ten percent was already troublesome; I had to go all out just to reach even thirty percent."

"But why are you doing twenty percent this time round with ease?" asked Jeane.

"Guess that's the cause for Raquel to have the ability to use more Yoki," replied Clare, flicking her blade to remove the blood from the dead Awakened Being.

"But, in terms of ranking, would I still be Number Forty-Eight?" Raquel asked.

"No," the shoulder length haired blonde answered.

"That's good-,"

"47.5 at least," Clare teased.

"That's just up half a point!" Raquel exclaimed.

"Ranks don't matter, Raquel. What matters is that you have the urge to survive, and learn sword skills, so you can survive," Jeane interfered.

"Like that Drill Sword of yours? I'd like to adopt that technique, but a bit simpler," Number Forty-Eight implied.

"That, you'll have to learn it all by yourself," answered Jeane with her arms crossed. "Besides, there's one thing we can confirm; Scarla's safe, am I right?"

"If for our time; yes. But in the future, I can't be sure," the grey eyed lady said in a rather relieved tone.


	12. Till We Meet

_**Situation 12  
Till We Meet**_

The next morning, everything in Scarla seemed to have cheered up in some way, though at a loss of a strong muscle woman; Kisara, who had lost her life after trying to get Alice trapped in the rubble of the derelict building. After mourning at the outskirts of the town, Jeane and Clare seemed to be in a haste to make their way to Pieta, the town where they needed to head next. Two pairs of silver eyes glanced at Number Forty-Eight who seemed to be walking at a slower pace.

"Maybe, you might be able to join us to Pieta as well. Though, there will be some shocked faces about it, considering your number," said Jeane in a re-assuring tone after pacing her way nearer to Raquel. "And you might be struggling a bit, considering that there's a number of Awakened Beings there."

Grey eyes turned away, somehow looking at the skies, "I don't know. I'm not too sure."

"I see. Shall we get going then?"

"Let's."

For the next few hours, everything seemed normal once again. Raquel's simple sarcasms did make Jeane a bit edgy once in a while, and Clare would only hang her head low, muttering out words wishing that they could get along for once. All was well, and nightfall came. Finding a comfortable spot for the trio to settle in, they impaled their claymores into the soil before leaning against it. Of course, for once, from all the exhaustion back at the battle in Scarla, Clare and Jeane did take a quick nap, but not Raquel. While it occurred, she got up to her feet, grabbed her blade, and paced away from the duo. It may seem foolish for Twin-tails from doing so, but there was something she needed to find out, only to hear-.

"Where are you heading next?" asked Jeane, who seemed to know Raquel's movements; Clare as well.

The illegitimate Claymore turned around, glancing at them. Lifting up a smile, she bade them farewell by simply waving her right hand while making a move into the forest, not uttering a word. Disappearing into the darkness of the night, Clare then turned her attention to her other comrade, popping up a question.

"You think it's the right thing to do?"

"In the end, the concept stands; a Claymore does their jobs alone, unless needed. Even if she were to be the illegitimate one, the concept of being one of us is still intact," the short haired blonde answered.

"But at least, this experience had made her a stronger Claymore; the ability to use up to thirty percent of Yoki. The techniques you told her, like the constant diagonal slash, even though she did not manage to do so back then," Clare recalled.

"Not only that,"

"Hmm?"

"She's matured, ever since the time I raised my voice about being a Claymore."

"Maybe. Maybe, that's the spark that made her a better Claymore."

"Slightly; 47.5, you say?" said Jeane in a rather unsure manner.

"That was just a joke," Clare implied.

"I see."

"But, where do you think she stands, if she were to be an official Claymore?"

"If she keeps up the progress," Jeane paused before answering. "Forty-Two."

**… … … **

Heading westwards after leaving Jeane and Clare, Raquel wondered about how she could improve on her sword skills, considering to what Jeane had said…

_…You have the flow right… _

She might have been all over the ground as a bloody mess for most of the time when going against the Yoma group and the Awakened Being back then, but considering the trouble she went, it was for a good cause. She had no problem hitting thirty percent of her Yoki before the resistance kicked in hard. It was probably enough for her, considering that she might only need agility and faster recovery time.

She paused, before leaning against a tree. Silence enveloped her before she let out a bout of coughing, then into hackings. Blood left her mouth considerably before she it ceased, allowing her to wipe the remains of her mouth. It may make her stronger, but the problem of Raquel not being a full-blown Claymore still stands. Parts of Yoma were still trying to merge with her body, but to no avail. But no matter, she could not allow such a weakness to stop her.

"Even if I'm an incomplete Claymore, I can still be one," she thought resuming her way westwards. "And on top of that, I'll adopt Jeane's Drill Sword, and learn some sword skills. I've got a long way to go, and I won't end it with a fight."

Noticing a path that seemed to lead to the direction she was heading, Raquel used it, while staring at the moonlight for a while. Satisfied with this conclusion with Jeane and Clare, she disappeared through the horizon, with her blade still held firmly in her right hand.

**… … … **

The two Claymores resumed their journey to Pieta, without a thought of Number Forty-Eight. The route leading them to the designated town was surprisingly difficult; they had to go through at least two mountains to reach Pieta, which seemed inaccessible from where they came from, compared to those coming from the east, or even west. But even so, being this close to the town, they could not go round it; backtracking was needed.

Days passed, and they were only about a mountain's distance left before reaching the town of Pieta. Judging from that, they had walked non-stop for about a week going over the first, vast, cold mountain. However, there was a sense of distant agony from both Claymores. Jeane glanced westwards before Clare followed suit.

"Raquel," the short haired blonde muttered.

"Raquel," the shoulder length haired blonde followed suit, before they trudged on towards Pieta.

**_The End _**

… … … … …

**_Ending Theme Song_**  
_**Rising Force - Yngwie J Malmsteen**_

_Out of the darkness the voices are calling  
Riding the wings of a song  
The Fury is screaming and Heaven is falling  
I feel it coming on strong._

**Chorus**_  
The lightning strikes cracking the night  
It feels like never before  
Thunder and sparks in the Heart of the Dark  
I hear a Rising Force.  
Searching my soul I find something else  
I take my life in my hands  
From the gates of Heaven to the altars of Hell  
The Power is at my command._

**Chorus**_  
The lightning strikes cracking the night  
I'm not the same anymore  
Thunder and spark in the Heart of the Dark  
I feel a Rising Force.  
Burned by the glory of a sacred fire  
A Rising Force starts to shine  
Alone in the inferno it soars ever higher  
Leaving the demons behind.  
_**Repeat first and second Chorus**


End file.
